Beat Me Down
by SimplyKeiran
Summary: Power couple James Potter and Joy Ruthson. What a difference, the Pranking King and the Prefect dating each other. This isn't the cliché James bullies the protagonist. This isn't the fairytale. Don't look here if you want the cliché dandy fairytale. This is not your abusive male lover story. James here is the good guy. Joy, however ironic it is, is your bad guy.
**Prologue - 1975 - Sirius' POV - The Last Day of Summer**

I remember how strange it was. I'd just gotten disowned by Walburga and Orion, my parents. Regulus had stood and watched. It was what, 9am? My first initial thought was to flee to James' home. They would welcome me in every summer when I needed to get away.

The white picket fence was newly painted, red bricks in the pathway like powder paint. The way the birds would gather on the large oak tree and sing until their heart's content, it felt like home. A euphoria I'd barely ever experienced before my years at Hogwarts.

I wished this is what my old home could've been like, with no trace of dark décor, meaning elf heads and poisonous parents. Life is unfair like that. Mrs. Potter - or should I say Euphemia - beckoned me in as a wave of apple and warm, sugary pastry hit my nose. I instantly ran upstairs, barging into James' room.

There those two were. Asleep in each other's grasp, smiles on their faces. They were in such a peaceful, euphoric bliss. Yet, as I slammed the door open they leapt apart.

"Has Prongslette got a girlfriend?" I teased.

"Her family's moving and she has to sleep over. Her dad's my dad's old friend."

"Why were you hugging then?" I shot a wink at the still unnamed girl. She remained silent. Was she mute or something?

"Well then... let's pretend I believe you. Care to introduce me?" James stumbled and scrambled up off of his bed, the covers still messily laid out in James' normal fashion.

"Uhh, Joy, this is Sirius, Sirius this is Joy Ruthson."

The girl stood up. She was paler than the moon - if it was normal or she was really worried or shocked, I couldn't tell. She had slightly hollowed out cheekbones and a petite face. Her hair was like a pale platinum mane. Joy's eyes were crystal blue and large. Similar to one of those children's dolls. They held humour and well.. joy.

"I'm sleeping here too, so don't do anything I wouldn't do." I eyed the two, winking again at them. Joy giggled in a sort of high pitched voice.

"So... We're going out to Diagon Alley to buy our books." James coughed loudly before speaking.

"You guys left it to the last day? Today's supposed to be fun!" whined Joy. The way she spoke, the way her voice floated was as if we had been lifelong friends.

"C'mon.. Look, I can just like duplicate them and we can just buy some ice cream and boom, done?"

"You can't duplicate things."

"Yes you can. Didn't you know? Gringotts does it to some extremely high-security vaults. Look. Gemino."

She pointed her wand at her bag which was thrown on the floor, and another one appeared beside it. Once again she cast the spell until there were 3 copies.

Euphemia came in a few minutes later. She told us we could go out for 2 hours maximum. We then proceeded to go downstairs, Fleamont handed us a pouch of galleons. Eleven of them, to be exact. We took a handful of floo powder each and apparated to Diagon Alley. To be honest, I still feel the pun hilarious. On a map, Diagon Alley is actually completely straight.

We headed straight to Zonkos. Joy kept on complaining about how she was a prefect and if they snuck any into her bag she'd be caught and taken off of prefect duties.

"So, you're a prefect then?"

She blushed lightly.

"Yeah... it's no big deal."

We bought a bunch of stinkbombs and other small pranks before heading over to the ice cream. As usual, I got a Pumpkin Pie Sundae, James got his Chocolate Extreme and Joy ate away at her Eton Mess Icecream Milkshake.

I admit, it was a great day out.

The King's Cross Station was filled with wizards and witches of all age, bustling around amongst the unaware muggles going about their business. Of course, I was absolutely appalled as to how they didn't notice us, meaning wizards and witches, walking into the column in between Platform 9 and Platform 10. Though ignorant and unaware do seem to fit them very well as a description.

Merlin knows how we even get around so mysteriously.

Fleamont and Euphemia weren't too engrossed with the muggles… well, not as much as I was, at least. However may that be, we were all fairly ready to go through the barrier. Joy and James were focusing their attention more so on moving their trolleys towards the column. I followed suit, needless to say. We were on the train in practically no time.

There was always the normal finding the best seat tradition, as we were usually the first on the bus. There were a couple of seats that were the best: the very last seats in the very back. I preferred staying in the back nearing the window. We, meaning the marauders, had been using that seat for the past four years, and this would be the fifth.

Yet there were already two obnoxious people sitting in our compartment. James was the first to slide open the door, finding at least one person he honestly wasn't wanting to see. I could tell that by his facial expression, and I guess the fact that I knew him so well contributed to that. Nevertheless, the two people were Severus Snape and Lily Evans.

"Come on Lily, you're really going to be stuck with this slimeball for yet another year when you could be with us, the coolest people you will ever meet," James ruffled his hair smugly and smirked at the redhead, who was rather annoyed at her ability to capture his attention. He followed through with, "Not to mention the most attractive guy in the world."

"You're so full of yourself," Lily snapped back. "You use the same pick up line, more or less, every single year."

"And yet you don't seem as hostile as you did in your second year," I replied cheekily.

"Am I sensing a little sexu- Oof!" James was caught midsentence by… nothing? I hadn't seen what made him have to catch his breath.

"James," the petite blonde looked up at him with her doe eyes. "We should go find a seat."

It was an odd thing, to see James Potter submit to the small girl. He simply nodded and turned around, leaving the seat we were after behind him. I almost questioned him, asking why he was acting so odd, but I shook it off to nothing.

But maybe I should have paid closer attention.


End file.
